FL Palm Beach Doubletree Gardens

[LoneStar]

Got this property for 2 nights beginning New Year's eve. I was surprised my $50 bid was accepted, and it did offer good value for money. For those not familiar with Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Gardens is about 9 miles north of where most tourists would probably want to be (the downtown action of City Place, Palm Beach island, the airport, etc.). But if you have a car and can save significant dinero staying in Palm Beach Gardens -- or for some reason you WANT to be in the northern part of the county -- this is a pretty decent location. It's right next to I-95, so you can be "downtown" in 10 minutes.

I'd rate this hotel a solid 3-star, probably a little above average for a Doubletree. The hotel has an attractive courtyard pool, and I'd ask for a room facing that direction. Alas, when I arrived late on Dec. 31, all they had were highway facing rooms, but the noise wasn't too bad. The rooms have fancy tempurpedic beds (worth trying) and are in generally good shape, although some of the furniture was getting a bit beat up. There's a large strip shopping center right next to the hotel, and across the highway is the large Gardens Mall. A few miles east is the MacArthur state park, which has a nice beach (and good nighttime sea turtle watching, with an advance reservation, if you come in summer). Further north are some nice free beaches, and for outdoor enthusiasts, good canoeing to Trapper Nelson's place in Jonathan Dickinson state park. About 15 minutes southeast will take you to Palm Beach, and you really must find and walk the River Trail, which takes you by some of the nicest (and priciest) real estate in America.

[PDB_905]

Stayed at the Doubletree in Palm Beach Gardens 4/24-4/28.

Thumbs up. At $43, what a steal.

The hotel is nothing spectacular, but quite pleasant, rooms clean and well kept. They had me booked for a smoking room but I asked for a non-smoking room (checking in around 1:00 PM) and they gave it to me without problems. The front desk staff was polite and helpful.

The room was clean and comfortable, nothing special. No fridge or microwave.

They offer wireless internet in the rooms for an extra charge of $11 a day. I didn't opt for that but instead used the free business center located next to the front desk. The business center offers Internet browsing only, so it's pretty restrictive for more advanced computer users. You can browse the Internet and print, but that's about it. But it's free. I also used my laptop with dialup access in the room, $0.75 for each local call.

I didn't use the hotel's lounge or restaurant, but they looked nice. They had an outdoor seating area looking out over the pool. The pool area was also nice.

The location is handy, right on I-95. If you're planning to spend time in Miami, be aware that it's a good hour to drive depending on exactly where you're going. But the Palm Beach Gardens area is a very nice neighborhood. Not much within walking distance, just a small strip mall with a grocery store and an Outback steakhouse across the street. But lots of shopping and dining just minutes away by car.

The closest real public beach access I could find was about 15-20 minute drive.

Nothing spectacular, but a pleasant stay with no major complaints.